Several Saturdays ago, I ventured into the World-of-Selling-Your-Book at the United Farmer’s Market in Belfast, Maine. And I was fascinated by the marketing styles of the pros who show up there every weekend. There was a woman next to me who connected easily with the Community. She had several “secret weapons”—food being the primary one.Her glassed-in window case was perfect for viewing all the delectable pastries that she had painstakingly baked. She arranged them on elegant white china, placed at different heights and sliced perfectly, showing the yummy layers within. The chocolate ones just screamed to be eaten, complete with artistic curls of phyllo pastry adorning the top. My salivary glands were working overtime! I felt like I was standing near a Parisian patisserie. Presentation really is everything! But that wasn’t the only strategy this woman employed: she had a bubbly personality, a continuous smile, a quick laugh, and above all else, a pride in her masterpieces, which clearly came through in her conversations. It was a lesson in real-time for me. Across from my “Sunny Bear” booth was an older gentleman selling his books as well. The competition! He was relaxed, leaning casually on the corner of his book shelf, totally unfazed that I was located across from him with my own children’s book. Quick to smile, (aha!) he walked right over to me, introduced himself, and asked me to come over and look at his books. An interesting and unabashed approach! Before I knew it, he had me sharing my life story—good grief! I had succumbed to the enemy! He greeted people as they walked by with phrases like, “Hi, Folks! Where you from?” or , “Love the T-shirt! Where did you find that?” People responded to his warmth. Later, he told me the secret to salesmanship: “Just get people talking about themselves.” I was taking all this in when I noticed the lady on the other side of my booth. She was selling copper jewelry for her friend. She had a distinctly different style of marketing that the other two, but was just as successful selling her wares. She was outgoing, friendly, and had a sense of humor. She taught me to “layer up” with a heavy sweater–the place was freezing with the constant opening and closing of doors. Her strategy was to greet people and then THANK them for coming to the market or stopping by to check out the jewelry. She also wore the jewelry which was quite eye-catching. As customers left, she wished them a wonderful day. She made them feel like they had made a great purchase. I left the market that day with a new-found appreciation of the Art of Salesmanship. Did I employ any of the strategies I witnessed? Well, a few for sure: I smiled until my cheeks hurt, I asked people if they were visiting or lived locally, I introduced my stuffed teddy bear, aka Sunny Bear, who sat casually on his sunflower stool, as the “King of the Sunflower Garden,” and I wore a large, artificial sunflower on my simple black jacket. I sold a few books, but came away with so much more. I was on the right track–I just needed to add a bit of Farmer’s Market Finesse and perhaps some sunflower seed pastries to my repertoire…
